In a key initiative to improve foundational skills, the Rajasthan education department has decided to deploy school teachers to anganwadi centres as “prabodhaks” (instructors) to build stronger reading, writing, and numeracy abilities in young children.
Across the state, around 15,000 anganwadi centres operate within school premises that have more than five teachers. In such institutions, the department has now instructed that L1 and L2 teachers—trained to teach primary grades—must also engage children aged 5 to 6 years.
According to Krishna Kunal, secretary of school education, these teachers are now mandatorily required to teach anganwadi children 3–4 days a week using age-appropriate books developed under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) as part of the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) framework. These materials include learning content and assessment tools, which the teachers will use to track children’s progress.
This move is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition for children from preschool to formal schooling. To make the environment more welcoming for young children, the department will preferably assign female teachers, helping students recognize familiar faces when they enter school.
Officials said that each child should receive about 3 hours of learning daily, and the assessment results will help evaluate the effectiveness of teaching at the anganwadi level, aligning early learning with school readiness goals.